Snooker Grand Prix 2009: The enigma that is Ding Junhui

In a battle between two young overseas aces, Neil Robertson of Australia dispatched an out-of-sorts Ding Junhui of China 9-4 in the final of the snooker Grand Prix in Glasgow, giving the Thunder from Down Under his fourth ranking tournament victory in as many years. It moved the jovial blonde-haired Aussie one ahead of Ding and Thailand's James Wattana on the all-time list of ranking victories by players from outside Britain and Ireland, in what was the first ranking final between two non-British players since Silvino Francisco beat Kirk Stevens to win the 1985 British Open.

The manner of the victory – coming after a painfully scrappy evening session at the Kelvin Hall – confirmed that 27-year old Robertson (currently world number 9) is not just an exceptionally talented potter (one of the best “single-ball potters” in the game, as they say) but also someone who has no qualms about grinding his way through some tough match-play. He will now have an eye on further major silverware. While Robertson impressed, the final was more interesting for what it said – or rather did not say – about the fortunes of 22-year old Ding – a player who looked like he would take the world by storm when he first came on the scene a few years ago only to struggle to live up to his initial promise.

In a somewhat voyeuristic way, watching snooker is as much about scrutinising the personality of the player as it is about the position of the balls on the baize, and Ding, unfortunately for him, has made for a fascinating subject. After turning professional in 2003, Ding was the Chinese Sensation as he won the China Open and the UK Championship in 2005 followed by the Northern Ireland Trophy in 2006, becoming the youngest player to win three ranking titles and looking very much like a future world champion.

The Chinese prodigy then struggled to continue his early successes: before the tournament in Glasgow, Ding had not reached a ranking semi-final for over three years. Was he beginning to feel the pressure of massive interest in his meteoric rise back home? In January 2007, Ding, on the verge of tears, lost in emotional circumstances to Ronnie O’Sullivan in the Masters final. Many felt - at least until his performance at this year’s Grand Prix - that he had never fully recovered from the episode. Or perhaps Ding’s was a case of the over-use in sporting circles of the term “potential” – making presumptions about future successes without taking into account the effect of a player increasingly becoming a ‘known quantity’. Ding’s lack of fluent English cannot have made things any easier for him.

Whatever the case, Ding’s achievement in reaching the latest Grand Prix final appeared to be a return to form for the world number 13, nicknamed “Enter The Dragon”. But a fragile performance against Robertson in that bitty evening session means there are still question marks hanging over the Chinese cue-man’s frame of mind. He never looked comfortable once he had fallen 5-4 behind after an epic 9th frame that lasted nearly an hour. As Robertson remorselessly dug out the remaining frames needed for victory, Ding missed too many balls and was roundly criticised by TV pundits for being too negative as he turned down pots or opportunities to split reds that he might have taken on in more confident mood. In short, the Dragon wasn’t being dragon-like enough. Ding can take confidence from reaching this final but, while Robertson goes from strength to strength, the manner of the runner-up’s display means this fascinating player from China is still snooker’s Great Enigma.

Comments

[worldinmotion]

As an addendum: Well done Ding for his victory last night over John Higgins in the UK Championship final. Looking more self-assured (healthier even) than he has done in recent times, the Chinese Sensation appears to have laid his demons to rest and with the confidence gained from this win should now be a force to be reckoned with. The headline? – surely “Re-Enter The Dragon”!

[Charles le Roi]

Wim, top marks for the snooker coverage but pray tell why is Ding's lack of fluent english any barrier for him? It never did ken doherty or alex higgins any harm.